Apparatus for pressing condensers



Aug. 11, 1931. c. A.- PURDY APPARATUS FOR PRESSING CONDENSERS Filed June12 1925,

//7 vfar CfieSfe/A. Pu/dy flmi' A/fy Patented Aug. 11, I931 r. I

mura STATES CHESTER ARTHUR PURDY, OF OAK PARK,

YORK V p P ENT, FICE- '1 rnnmors nssrenoR To wnsrnRN ELECT --"1ItICCOMPANY, INCORPORATED, F NEWYORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW.AVPPARATUSYFOR rREssiNjG ooNDENsERs Application filed June 12,

i i This invention relates to an apparatus'forr pregnated with meltedparafiin, and afterwards pressed while theparaflin is solidifying. Sincethe closeness of the adjacent layers of foil and paper largelydetermines the electrical capacity which the completed condensers willpossess, it is desirable that the condensers be subjected uniformly to adefinite desirable pressure. In the past, condensers have been pressedby laying a plurality of them in a flat position upon a comparativelythick metal plate, covering them with another plate and thenrepeatingthe operation until a comparatively high stack was formed,after which a weight was placed on top of the stack'to supply therequisite pressure to the condensers.

' Objects of the present invention are to provide an improvedappa'ratusffor producing electrical condensers having substantiallyuniform electrical capacities.

In accordance with the generalfeatures of the present invention there isprovided a plurality of press unitshaving pivotally mounted endsconnectedby parallel rods, spaced in pairs and arranged to receivetherebetween trays having apertured ends connected by angle members andstrips constituting the bottom and side walls thereof, the upper anglemembers having portions extending outwardly to rest upon the upper rodsofthe press units when the trays are disposed therein. Disposed inthetrays adjacent the ends thereof are plates between which are disposedhorizontal rows of condensers separated by resilient members,the platesin the forward ends of the trays being engaged by rotatable endsofpistons moved inwardlyby hydraulic force'and arranged to allow thepress units j and the trays to be moved relatively thereto to move thecondensers into horizontal positions while being pressed. The pistonsare operated from a common source, thus insuring the application of thesame-hydraulic pressn re upon the condensers in each pressterial forcedfrom the condensers, to drain therefrom. v r

The invention will be more fully under- Fig. 1 is a front elevationalview of the apparatus, an intermediate portion of the view being brokenaway to conserve space; I i Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shownin Fig. 1, an intermediate. portion thereof being also broken-away;

- Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is an irregular sectional view taken on the line 1-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan viewshowing-the manner in whichthe condensers are placed in the trays;-

Fig- 6 is an enlarged end elevational View of a press unit showing themanner in which it may be rotated through. a 90 angle, and

. Fig. 7 illustrates a type of condenser to manufacture which theinvention is particularly'adapted. I

Referring now to the accomp'anying drawing, a framework 10 is providedupon which the remainder of the apparatus is mounted (Figs. 1, 2 Aplurality of press units generally. designated by the numeral 11 mountedupon the framework 10 may be supplied with suitable liquid underpressure through interconnected pipes'12 by a pump 13 of any suitabletype. A reservoir 14 contains a reserve supply of theliquid, such asoil, which is employed'to obtain the,'pres-' sure inthe pipe 12, a gauge15 indicating the pressure therein, and a valve. 16 being oper-' spectto the unit as to regulate. the admission.

of liquid thereto. .Each valve connects the stood from the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings, wherein pipes with a cylinder21 which has a flanged portion 22, said cylinder being suitably securedto the framework lOby means of journal member 25. A ball bearing 26 ispositioned between the flanged portion 22 of the cylinder 21 and aflanged member 27, which flanged member supports one end of a pluralityof rods 30 leading to an end plate 31 to which the opposite ends thereofare secured by nuts 34. The end plate 31 has integral therewith atrunnion 32 which is journaled in a trunnion bearing 33 suitably securedto the main frame 10. A piston 35 is positioned in the cylinder 21 andis provided with suitable packing 36 to prevent leakage therearound. Apiston rod 38 secured to the piston 35 has at its head end a flange 40and has a central bore therein parallel to its axis, in which bore oneportion of a bearing member 41 is placed. A cup-shaped member 42contains. a ball bearing 43, against which the bearing member 41 isplaced. The flange 40 together with the cup-shaped member 42, bearing43, and bearing member 41 are assembled as shown in section in Fig. 3 toform a piston head which, due to the ball bearing, can be rotated aboutthe axis of the piston while the piston rod is held in a stationaryposition with respect to its axis. A member 45 is secured to the flangedmember 27 to act as a housing for the piston head when the piston is inan unactuated or retracted position.

A tray provided for holding the condensers and adapted to be placed inthe press unit comprises a pair of apertured end plates 51 and 52, aplurality of angle irons 53, and a plurality of flat strips 54, the openend plates, angle irons and flat strips being preferably welded togetherto form an integral box-like structure with outwardly turned top angleirons 53 for engaging the top rods 30. Slidable plates and 61 are placedwithin the tray at the ends thereof.

When producing condensers 50 in accordance with this invention, they arewound in the usual manner and placed by the operator immediately withinthe tray, with their ends resting upon and individually supported by thebottom members 53 and 54, pairs of flexible separating plates 62,preferably of resilient metal, having outwardly curved edges 63 beingplaced between successive groups thereof (Figs. 4: and 5). Thecompletely I filled tray is placed in a drying oven to remove whatevermoisture may be present in the condensers, is then placed in a bath ofheated paraffin to impregnate the condensers, and thereafter positionedwithin one of the press units l1 (Figs. 2 and 3). After all of the units11 have been filled, the pump 13 is actuated to produce a predeterminedfluid pressure within the pipe 12. The valves associated with the unitsare opened so that equal pressure iseXerted upon the pistons 35 of allof the press units 11, thereby placing all of the condensers 50 undersubstantially uniform pressure. The pressure is transmitted between thegroups through the separating plates 62, which due to their flexibilitypermits the pressure on one condenser to be transmitted individually tothe condenser in alignment therewith in the adjacent group withoutaffecting or being affected by the pressures being transmitted by theother condensers in the same group. The pressure is maintained until theparaffin has solidified, the tray being turned in the manner indicatedin dotted lines in Fig. 6 to. facilitate cooling and to preventexcessive amounts of para'ilin from flowing from between the layers ofpaper. This rotation of the tray about the axis of the piston isfacilitated by the ball bearing associated with the head which permitsthe head to rotate with the tray. Suitable means, such as electric fans(not shown) may be employed for the purpose of accelerating the rate ofcooling and resulting rate of solidification of the paraffin. Since thecondensers are supported endwise upon the separated members 53 and 54.,the melted paraflin readily drains therefrom by gravity.

When the condensers have cooled and the paraflin has solidified, thepressure is relieved and the pistons 35 returned to their normalpositions and the trays are then removed from the press units. Thesolidiflcationo-f the paraffin binds the condenser together in eachtray, but they may be readily separated without injury by inserting asuitable tool between the curved edges 63 of the metal separators toseparate the adjacent groups. The metal separators 62 beingsubstantially nonadherent the condensers may be readily removed from theassociated groups, after which the individual condensers ofthe groupsmay be easily and safely separated from each other. The smooth surfacesof the metal separators also produce a glazed coating of paraffin on thesurface of each condenser which serves as a protection therefor duringsubsequent handling. v

Since the condensers are individually supported in continuous horizontalrows or trains, and the unit presses are each subjected to the samefluid pressure, the separators being uniformly flexible, all condensersare subjected to equal and uniform pressures throughout the pressing andsolidification thereof. Thus due to the uniformity of the conditionsimposed upon the condensers during the compressing thereof practicallyuniform electrical capacities are obtained. F urthermore, condensers maybe pressed and solidified very quickly by the use of this apparatus, itbeing found that one hour is generally suflicient time in which toaccomplish the entire pressing operation.

The invention is not to be limited to the particular embodiment of theinvention a which has been described, but is only to be limited by thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 7 1. In apparatus for pressing condensers, aremovable tray comprising open ends and sides for supporting a pluralityof longitudinal columns of condensers, transverse flexible membersseparating the condensers, each of said members having their oppositeedges flared, and means for applying a pressure to the ends of thecolumns to press the condensers.

2. In apparatus for pressing condensers, means for supporting aplurality of condensers arranged in a horizontal row, means for applyingpressure to the supported condensers in a horizontal direction, andmeans for permitting a rotation of the row of condensers on thehorizontal axis thereof while the pressure is maintained.

3. In apparatus for pressing condensers, a framework, a tray forcontaining a plurality of condensers separated by flexible means, saidtray having an apertured end and a plate member therein for closing theaperture, means attached to the framework for supporting the tray withthe condensers in a horizontal row therein, a hydraulic press having acylinder rotatably mounted on the framework, a piston mounted within thecylinder, a rotatable head carried by the piston and adapted to enterthe aperture in pressure to the condensers supported in said tray, andmeans for permitting a rotation of the tray on the horizontal axisthereof while the pressure is maintained. r r o In witnesswhereofQIhereunto subscribe my name this 1st day of June, A. D. 1925.

CHESTER ARTHUR PURDY'.

the end of the tray and engage the plate member within the tray, andmeans for oper-' ating the press to cause the condensers and flexibleseparating means within the tray to be pressed between the plate memberand the opposite end of the tray.

4. In an apparatus for pressing condensers, a plurality of rods arrangedin arallelism, a tray comprisin side mem ers with outwardly extendingflanges engaging said rods, and a plurality'of narrow strips 7 Iconstituting the bottom thereof, each of said strips supporting a columnof electrostatic condensers, and means operated centrally with respectto said rods for uniformly compressing the condensers contained in saidt V. a i

5. In an apparatus for pressing condensers, a plurality of rods arrangedin par- 'allelism, a tray comprising side members plurality ofcondensers, means for applying

